It snowed here in North Carolina yesterday, and, predictably everyone lost their shit. North Carolina, despite getting snow with at least some degree of regularity, if not that much snow, doesn’t deal well with snow at all. I mean, roads get plowed and brine gets sprayed and, generally, the infrastructure works as it should, but nearly everyone who ends up driving seems deeply unhappy. Not just unhappy, though: nervous. And the way many, many drivers express their nervousness is by turning on their hazard lights. This is a terrible idea, and should stop.
I noticed this as I was picking up Autopian co-dummy David from the airport last night. It was dark but clear, and the roads weren’t great. Not terrible, but there were slick patches and it definitely demanded more attention than a normal jaunt down the 40. Visibility wasn’t a problem, which I thought might be a justification for putting on some blinky lights, but that’s not really what people are thinking. They’re thinking this sucks, I don’t feel confident driving in it, so I want people to know. Hence the hazards.
I know some may feel it makes their car more visible in poor conditions. In really awful visibility conditions, a rear fog lamp is a much better solution, but those are not common in the US. Maybe the hazards could help a bit there, but even then, it’s illegal to do so in plenty of states!
I think mostly people just seem to use them when they don’t feel comfortable driving in some crappy situation.
And that’s not necessarily a bad instinct, really! The problem is that when an uncomfortable driver puts on their hazard lights, they’re actually doing more than they realize. They’re also eliminating their ability to indicate when they intend to turn, which is a pretty big deal. Nervous people who decided to turn their hazards on still need to change lanes and exit freeways and make turns, and those hazards are eliminating their ability to do just that.
Driving with your hazards on also diminishes the impact of cars that really need to identify themselves as a true hazard: cars that are stuck or broken down or otherwise immobile.
While it’s definitely more fun to blame those drivers that just use their hazard lights in any kind of bad weather or when they feel Mercury is in retrograde or they had some bad clams or whatever, the truth is that the real issue is with the hazard lights themselves.
Back in the day when they were first mandated, in 1966, blinking all four turn indicators was by far the easiest way to get the desired effect. The turn signals were the only lights already configured to flash, after all. But it’s become clear that they’re not the best choice, because, again, they eliminate an extremely important feature of taillights: turn signals. And for that I will not stand.
We live in an automotive era where it would not be hard to, while still using only existing hardware, find a new way to make hazard lights work. On some cars, I suspect changes could be made with over-the-air updates! Regardless of how it’s done, there are viable options that I firmly think would work better as a hazard indicator than just blinking all the turn signals.
This was an idea David had: blink the indicators as normal, but when the turn signal stalk is moved to actually indicate a turn, switch hazard functionality to the CHMSL (center high-mount stop light). Here’s a mockup of how that may look:
That does preserve the function of the turn signals, but I think it’s a bit too complex. I have another idea: what if we make those reverse lights earn their keep a little bit more?
Reverse lights are nice and bright, they never flash when in actual reversing use, and I think they would definitely get attention. And, of course, all normal functions like turn indicating and braking and normal taillights or whatever are completely intact.
Also, I don’t think anyone will assume the driver is rhythmically shifting into and out of reverse gear, because people aren’t that stupid. Maybe in parking lots some people may get pissed because they see a flash that suggests someone is backing out of a spot, like how GM uses them when a car is locked/unlocked. And no one really likes that. But I think this context and behavior will be different enough (GM tends to keep them on longer, for example) to avoid that issue.
Now, I don’t have a solution for what to do up front; I think for the front, if there is a separate side/parking light/DRL, then that is definitely what should blink; if not, I guess we can grudgingly stay with the indicators. But for new cars, that have to have DRLs already, I think we can demand that! Why not?
So, here’s my proposal: until we change how hazard lights work – which we should, and I think that means blinking the reverse lamps in rear, the DRLs up front – then people shouldn’t use their hazards when they’re just unsure of how they’re driving or are uncomfortable with the conditions. I get that it feels safer and there is some benefit to letting the world know, but it does more harm than good.
I’ll go around to all of my usual taillight bar and bathhouse hangouts and spread the word of flashing-reverse hazard lights, and see how it plays out. But I’ll need everyone’s help if we’re to make this change a reality! Or, if you have a better idea, tell me in the comments! I’ll listen! With my eyes! By reading!
Well, it’s in the name isn’t it? The ‘hazard’ light’s reason for existence, to the best of my understanding, is to indicate a particular hazard at a given point on the roadway. Sometimes, it’s the car itself, which has broken down or had to come to an abrupt stop. Other times, it’s probably an unexpected something that lies ahead, like a maggot-filled deer carcass. Either way, it’s to warn other road users of an unseen and unexpected hazard. Even the graphic motif on a majority of the hazard light switches is that distressing red or orange triangle, which also finds its way on the humble emergency sign that one pulls out of the boot and sets up on the road to warn users that a poor git is changing their flat tyre with their tender bits infringing roadside.
The snow is visible to everyone on the road. It’s slippery, and makes itself obvious. It may be unexpected if one chooses to avoid any kind of local weather news diligently, but it is not unseen.
Where I live, folks use this in the fog a fair bit. This is misleading, but doesn’t really come in the way of indicating a lane change, because most drivers don’t indicate even on a clear day.
That said, I don’t believe that either of the two solutions work very well, because of the colour of the light. Yellow lights are supposed to be more visible in bad weather. The poor indicator has been seconded to hazardous duty purely by dint of its color. And if that’s not sad, then I don’t know what is.
I’m from Florida. I am already a hazard to others by driving slow and cautious in the right lane in low visibility rain storms (< 2 car lengths) when the morons have elected to make it into the Daytona 500 on their donuts, so what’s one more marker of a “bad” driver?
I’ll stay in the slow lane, hazards on, and the rest of you can die a man’s death or whatever.
I did not realize this problem has gotten to the “a solution is required” phase.
I am failing to realize the problem.
Also, 90% of drivers do not use their turn signals when they are needed (turns AND lane changing), so it is moo.
Trucks use them when going up or down steep passes. I went up and down The Tejon Pass both ways and saw this on the regular.
So, and especially in fog or snow or icy roads, if one is driving way slower than the speed limit, then on go the hazards.
I think the only issue with the reverse light idea is that, by law, the vehicle has white beams to indicate the direction of travel. Having the white headlights on AND blinking the reverse lights- while conceptually makes sense- might be hard to convince notorious litigation-averse car companies to go with.
That, plus red + white lights are fire/ambulance colors here. It’s a bad idea.
It’s simple:
All drivers are experiencing the same problems = hazards off
You are experiencing a unique problem = hazards on
And if you’re too scared, just stay home!
The drivers in Germany are required to activate the four-way hazard lights briefly if the traffic suddenly comes to very slow or standstill on the Autobahnen and sometimes on the roads and streets. This is to alert the drivers behind to slow down quickly as to avoid crashing into the vehicles ahead of them.
I can’t tell you how much it had saved us from crashing into the vehicles.
Was just about to post this. I drive a lot in Germany and this is a valuable and highly predictable behaviour.
My wife commutes between Cary and Chapel HIll (hi neighbor) and she noticed the slow flasher-deploying drivers in the snow the other day. Annoyed her, probably for all the reasons listed. But I have used the flashers in bad weather–once, for example, about thirty years ago, I was in Eastern Pennsylvania approaching Easton and ran into the mother of all thunderstorms. Visibility was extremely poor, so I put on hazards and crept through the storm. This was years ago, and I think I know better now. The turn-signal problem is real, and I remember at the time thinking that changing lanes was pretty sketchy with the hazards on. Lesson learned then, and confirmed here.
Which storm? The big Noreaster of 1995? That MFer was bad. Hit the Lehigh Valley hard.
I am all for a different solution for hazards, but I use mine fairly regularly. Example: I am driving across western North Dakota in a low visibility blizzard, in my 02 F250 (no traction control, stability control) pulling an empty 16ft enclosed trailer. I know that I am going slower than most other traffic, so I throw the blinky lights on to let the guy in a clapped out Civic, going the speed limit (70mph) that I am a “hazard” and he should be mindful while zipping past me and kicking up a cloud of snow dust that causes my visibility to be reduced to zero for a minute or two.
God, I hate the hazards in inclement weather thing so much. You’re exactly right — it’s simply signifying that you’re scared, which also tells me you’re probably a bad driver.
Having hazards on eliminates the ability for you to tell me in what direction your next panicky move is going to be so it’s actually more dangerous than just slowing down and driving like a normal person.
Also, there is no way this is actually taught anywhere that it’s the right thing to do — it’s one of those terrible habits that bad drivers pass down to make new bad drivers.
Sorry, I need to exhale now.
I mean, it sounds like other than the loss of turn signals they’re working as designed – warning you that the car is a hazard.
Here in NC, I typically only see widespread use of hazards during heavy downpours. I’ve learned to stay off of the state’s roads during any amount of snow after nearly being wiped out by an inexperienced driver who seemed determined to ping-pong his way back and forth across a busy highway until he slid into his exit.
On the way to work this morning I encountered a driver going approximately 15 mph on a secondary road; hazards would have been a great help here, because even though it was clear and sunny, as I came around the corner I had trouble telling at first glance if the car was actually moving. Given that the only light I saw on the car was a single brake light (I never did see a turn signal), it’s very likely that they didn’t have working hazard lights.
problem with the reversing lights illuminated by the old story of Van der Merwe…He bought a brand new Porsche, left the garage and five minutes later the garage got a call saying the car had broken down.
The gear box was wrecked.
He got a loaner and five minutes later a call came in for the same problem
They said: “Tell us Van how did it happen?”
And he said: “I was testing it and it was really good and fast. Then I looked at the gear stick and saw R for racing….”
My G30 540i didn’t come with a switch for the rear fogs which were already there so I ordered a EU one and installed/coded it. Ever since I had them working (I also added a blinking feature to the brake/tail light in the rear diffuser) I’ve had fewer people tailgating and having to panic brake behind me because they weren’t paying attention, or whatever.
I did this with my E83! It was a two-minute swap. Very nice in foggy weather or heavy snow.
We don’t see the flashers too much here in Michigan because most drivers have experienced enough crap weather. But yesterday we got an unexpected dusting (.5-1in) which made some slick slush but nothing crazy. I was on the highway (which was just wet at this point) and there was a Wrangler with their flashers on with Georgia plates. Understandably they may have been trying to be careful as they are unfamiliar with these driving conditions but the strange part was they were mostly doing the same speed as the rest of traffic flow. So my question to them would be, you are already basically doing the same speed as everyone else, what are your flashers accomplishing?
Not surprised it was someone from Georgia, it seems ingrained in the drivers here. I moved to GA from TX in college, and the first time I encountered “full-speed flashers” during a rainstorm I panic braked and checked if I could swerve to the left because I assumed the flashers meant a car was stopped in my lane. Nope, they were just cruising along with traffic, but for some reason thought they needed to warn everyone else that it was raining.
Every year here the paper posts an article telling people it’s illegal and stupid, and the responses from people are basically “I don’t care, it makes me feel safer so I’m doing it. Everyone else is wrong”.
Perhaps take some inspiration from petite-member motorcyclists. Don’t even worry about lights, just have a cat/muffler bypass switch. You won’t have to bother being seen, the entire surrounding community will know you are there and as a bonus, you’ll feel like such a cool big boy rebel doing it.